SpaceX could attempt Super Heavy landing on tower with Starship flight 5

SpaceX could attempt to catch the Super Heavy first-stage booster with Starship Flight 5 based on the success of Starship Test Flight 4 says the company chief.

Elon Musk SpaceX founder and CEO shared an update on the Starship program and its development to make life multi-planetary on Saturday at Starbase Texas.

He said the company will attempt to catch the booster with the orbital launch tower if it completes landing on a virtual landing tower with test flight 4.

Super Heavy is the first stage of Starship’s integrated launch vehicle. The booster has worked well through the past three flights.

In the first test flight, it lifted off the integrated vehicle. The second flight performed full-duration burn and stage separation but scattered after the engine cutoff. The third test conducted liftoff, stage separation, a boost back burn as well as reorientation maneuvers. However, the third booster didn’t land as planned.

Starship is being stacked on top of Super Heavy Booster Rocket (Credit – SpaceX)

The Super Heavy landing will require verification on a virtual landing tower before an actual attempt. The fourth test could be crucial to ensure landing on a launch tower and being caught by tower arms.

“The odds of catching the booster with the tower are probably like 80-90 percent this year,” said Musk while briefing SpaceX employees and engineers.

Starship test flight 4 could happen next month. The company has already performed static fire on the Super Heavy and Starship spacecraft. The next major step would be to acquire a modified test license from the FAA.